Versus: Unfriendly Frenzy Available Now on Tablets
/
A quick real-time-strategy game Versus: Unfriendly Frenzy from Toronto-based indie studio ZeMind (@ZeMindGames) Games is now available on Android Tablets and iPad.
Read More
Rocketship Park Releasing Word Forward May 22nd On iPhone, Apple TV, and Android
/Rocketship Park out of St. Catharines Ontario announced yesterday their next game, this time a word puzzle game. Word Forward has you using all the letters in a 5x5 grid to make words disappear and clear the board:
Word Forward isn’t about spelling the longest words or the most clever - it’s about carefully using every tile to declare victory in 500 puzzles. It requires cunning and strategy -- Word Forward is a brain teaser that will really make you think!
Word Forward comes hot off the heels of re-releasing Block Droppin on iOS. Word Forward will hit iPhone, Apple TV, and Android phones May 22nd. If you’re an Android user you can pre-register for the game right here.
Golf Blitz From Noodlecake Studios Launching Worldwide May 2nd (Out Now For Some Countries Including Canada)
/Saskatchewan based Noodlecake Studios will be launching its latest Stickman game Golf Blitz worldwide on iOS and Android phones on May 2nd. Luckily if you’re in one of Canada, Ireland, Germany, South Korea or the Philippines you can play it today.
For the rest of the world, you’ll have to wait a few more days. In the meantime check out the trailer below.
Featured
Google's Upcoming Streaming Service Stadia Has Canadian Roots
/Last month Google announced their upcoming Cloud-based video game streaming service, Stadia. Details are a little light (such as release date), but we do know that you’ll be able to stream Ubisoft Quebec’s Assassin’s Creed Odyssey on practically any device.
While Google is obviously a giant worldwide corporate, I was told on some of the Canadian aspects of the service - specifically from Google’s Kitchener-Waterloo office. The below bullet points were provided to me via email, but our friends at Mobile Syrup also wrote an in-depth article on it.
Stadia has a unique Canadian connection as Google’s Kitchener-Waterloo engineering office played an instrumental role in developing the platform.
Stadia controller: The Waterloo team worked on all the software that runs on the controller (not physical controller itself). Eg. Software for device setup, personalization and communication.
Stadia: Specifically, the Waterloo team was tasked to solve the problem: how do we get games on the platform, working well, optimized?
You ca n check out Google’s blog on Stadia here, as well as watch the live-stream from last month. We will have to wait and see how many Canadian games follow Ubisoft and offering their games on the service.
Monster Slaying Puzzle Game '4096 Slayer' Out Now On iOS and Android
/Developer Maple Mana (aka Dan Currie) have released a new monster slaying puzzle game on iOS and Android - ‘4096 Slayer’ takes a unique spin on 2048 this time adding monsters, where everytime you kill the strongest one, a new one appears twice as strong. Check out the trailer below and download the game on iOS and Android devices.
Guildmaster Story Out Now On iOS and Android
/Little Red Lie, and Actual Sunlight developer Will O’Neill has released his latest, this time a free-to-play narrative puzzle game on iOS and Android devices. Will promises that “Guildmaster Story will delight everyone who ever worked an unpaid internship, got steamrolled by the sharing economy, or suspects that the people responsible for it all are precisely who they seem to be.” There will also be new episodic content in 2019, so make sure to download today.
Featured
Arena Stars: Rival Heroes Releases On iOS and Android
/Tiny Titan Studios, the London based studio behind Tiny Rails, have released their next game - Arena Stars: Rival Heroes which is out now on iOS and Google Play. The action card game let’s you customize your deck, and challenge other players around the world.
Choose your Hero. Build your Deck. Experience an intense 90 seconds of battle in real-time, player vs player action! Defeat the enemy Hero to win Trophies, Chests and more! Collect Trophies to unlock new Arenas! In between battles, collect cards to upgrade your Hero and Troops and become the champion of the Arena!
Take on others in the Arena Stars Universe in this action-packed epic new multiplayer strategy game from Tiny Titan Studios!
Make sure to download Arena Stars: Rival Heroes on Google Play, or Apple for free.
Featured
15th Annual Global Competition - International Mobile Gaming Awards
/The International Mobile Gaming Awards will be having their 15th Annual Global Competition, and they are looking for entries. The awards will be given in San Francisco during GDC. If you are working on an unreleased mobile games with a playable demo, VR or AR, or games published after Jan. 1st 2018 then you should consider applying!
“The IMGA is now the mobile entertainment industry's leading showcase for groundbreaking
innovations, displaying exceptional quality and new trends in mobile entertainment, whether
the games are made for the iPhone, for Android Phones or other platforms.”
Jam City Purchases Bingo Pop from Uken Games
/Jam City has purchased Bingo Pop, and the team responsible for the game from Uken Games. The team will continue to run Bingo Pop from a new Toronto office, which will now be fully under Jam City’s control.
“We are so proud to be continuing Jam City’s rapid global expansion with the acquisition of one of the most popular bingo titles, and its highly talented team,” said Chris DeWolfe, co-founder and CEO of Jam City. “This acquisition provides Jam City with access to leading creative talent in one of the fastest growing and most exciting tech markets in the world. We look forward to working with the talented Jam City team in Toronto as we supercharge the live operations of Bingo Pop and develop innovative new titles and mobile entertainment experiences.”
You can download Bingo Pop for free on iOS, and Google Play.
Featured
About Jam City
Jam City is a leader in mobile entertainment, providing unique and deeply engaging games that appeal to broad global audiences. Jam City was founded in 2009 by MySpace cofounder and CEO Chris DeWolfe and former 20th Century Fox executive Josh Yguado. Jam City is the creative powerhouse behind some of the highest grossing and most enduring social gaming franchises for mobile, including Cookie Jam (Facebook “Game of the Year” winner) and Panda Pop. Jam City is the go-to studio for Hollywood, having developed immersive, narrative rich mobile games around iconic entertainment brands including Harry Potter, Family Guy and Marvel Avengers. Jam City has studios in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Bogotá and Buenos Aires. The Jam City team is known for its creative excellence and technological innovation in key areas including storytelling, data science and audience insights.
About Bingo Pop
Launched in 2012, Bingo Pop has consistently been one of the top bingo mobile games worldwide. The game is a free, classic bingo game mixed with large jackpots, fast-paced action, power-ups and other features including memorable characters and unique social features. Bingo Pop is available worldwide on the App Store and Google Play.
About Uken Games
Uken builds games that people everywhere love. Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? And Jeopardy! World Tour are the top two trivia games, engaging millions of global players every month. We consider ourselves data-driven designers, technologists and artists. Through collaboration, we pair the craft of design with feedback and data to deliver a pace and rhythm in each game session that immerses our audience and leaves them wanting more. We take your entertainment seriously. Learn more about Uken by visiting our website, https://www.uken.com.
Alto's Odyssey Out Now On Android
/Alto's Odyssey, Snowman's follow up to Alto's Adventure, came out on iOS earlier this year and has no graced Android devices. It's a free download, but features in-app purchases - you can download it right here.
"Just beyond the horizon sits a majestic desert, vast and unexplored.
Join Alto and his friends and set off on an endless sandboarding journey to discover its secrets.
Soar above windswept dunes, traverse thrilling canyons, and explore long-hidden temples in a fantastical place far from home.
Along the way, you’ll grind across vines, bounce atop hot air balloons, ride towering rock walls, and escape mischievous lemurs – all while uncovering the desert’s many mysteries. "
Boat Rocker Games Releases 'Fusioneer' On Mobile
/Local studio Boat Rocker Games have released a free-to-play puzzle game on Android and on iOS. You can check out some screenshots and description on Fusioneer down below:
"Welcome to the lab Amateur Fusioneers!!
Grab a lab coat and start firing atoms from the fusion cannon to get your fusion core as high as you can in this bubble shooting puzzle game! More fusions produce higher value atoms to experiment with and will allow you to output higher amounts of energy!
This fusion of puzzle and arcade gameplay is easy to pick up and play but rewards careful planning and precise shots. Get hooked in from your first fusion as you start your quest to create the largest fusion core possible!"
Featured
Space Esc8bit Launches on iOS and Android
/Space Esc8bit, the 2d endless flier from Virtex Edge Design recently launched on iOS and Android (in both a free, and ad-free paid version). I've been playing the game the last few nights and it's a fast paced and pretty addicting high score chaser. The goal is to simply fly up, avoirding missles, and mines while collecting powerups. Getting the missles to collidge with each other is key to survival, and the game creates some intense pixel-perfect moments.
You can pick it up on Android and iOS, but make sure to check out the trailer and screenshots below:
Interviews and Podcast
Explore Post-Apocalyptic Toronto Islands In Manimal Sanctuary - The VR Lurking Simulator
/Manimal Sanctuary is one of the more unique games I've come across in a while, and it takes place in Toronto (specifically Toronto Island, and more specifically in a post-apocalyptic setting). It's described as a "VR lurking simulator" and you can check out the official description from the iTunes store:
Manimal Sanctuary is a virtual reality lurking simulator that uses mobile technology to enable every player's ultimate fantasy: to play a creature -- part coral reef, part Cthulhu -- who consumes human emotions. Set on the Toronto Islands after the rest of the world is devoured by gibbering monstrosities, you eavesdrop on the survivors and their everyday dramas involving things like bad potato crops and graffiti tags. And if those emotions aren't delicious enough, you can compel them to tell devastating secrets.
You can check out the trailer and screenshots below - also make sure to download the game for free on iOS and Android. I was able to play a bit of the game even without the mobile VR unit thing, so give it a whirl!
Featured
Race to Sparklepop Out On Android
/A game coming out of the Toronto Game Jam 2017 is out now on Android devices as a free download. Race to Sparklepop has you and your friends racing balloons past sharp and pointing objects.
Race to Sparklepop was created by:
- Jason Wesley (follow him on Twitter) as game designer/programmer
- Alex Maletich did the sound and music design (follow him on Twitter).
- Felicia Valenti did the voice work (follow her on Twitter)
Remember to download the game on Android! What will come out of the GameJam this year?
GameDev Jobs
Play This Game: Borbudo On Google Play Store
/Local and indie developer Rob Lehrbass emailed me this week to let me know about his indie game on the Google Play Store Borbudo - which you can pick up for free right here. Sadly I am without a Google device right now, but you can check out the description and screenshots below!
Borbudo is more than a simple shoot-em-up game; it's a collection of worlds to explore, each with diverse characters, challenges, quests, puzzles, missions, and more! Battle your way through abandoned space stations, jungle battlefields, arctic dungeons and puzzling labyrinths.
Your journey through the worlds of Borbudo will never be the same, but it will always be epic!
You can download the game on your Android devices here, and check out Rob's Patreon if you want to help support him and Borbudo.
Halifax-based Alpha Dog Games has released their first game since as a member of Xbox Game Studios for Google and Apple devices Mighty DOOM, a top-down, single-touch action mobile shooter.